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HBO’s “Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery” documentary has made the bold assertion that Canadian Bitcoin developer Peter Todd is Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin.
The documentary, produced by Cullen Hobak, presents respective pieces of circumstantial grounds successful its 100-minute runtime to enactment this conclusion.
Why HBO believes Todd is Satoshi
Todd, an aboriginal subordinate successful the BTC community, is suggested to person utilized the Satoshi individuality to heighten Bitcoin’s credibility.
According to Hobak, this pseudonym gave the content that Bitcoin was created by an established cryptographer alternatively than “a student.” Todd was finishing his creation grade astir the clip Bitcoin’s whitepaper was released successful 2008.
Further, the documentary builds its lawsuit astir circumstantial evidence, including Todd’s cryptic online posts.
One specified post, wherever Todd described himself arsenic “the world’s starring adept connected however to sacrifice your Bitcoins,” was interpreted arsenic a imaginable admittance that helium destroyed entree to the estimated 1.1 cardinal BTC attributed to Nakamoto.
Further speculation arose from claims that Todd erstwhile accidentally posted from Satoshi’s relationship connected the BitcoinTalk forum successful 2010.
Additionally, Todd’s advocacy for the arguable Replace-by-Fee (RBF) connection is highlighted. The documentary suggests that lone idiosyncratic with intimate cognition of Bitcoin’s archetypal code—like Nakamoto—could person introduced specified a method feature.
Polymarket bettors were mostly wrong.
HBO’s mentation caused sizeable losses connected the decentralized prediction level Polymarket, which had seen users stake heavy connected Len Sassaman, a cypherpunk who passed distant successful 2021, being Satoshi. As of Oct. 5, Sassaman held a 67% probability but saw his likelihood gaffe nether 10% by Oct. 8.
In the leadup to the documentary, Nick Szabo, a well-known cryptographer, and Adam Back, CEO of Blockstream, emerged arsenic frontrunners. However, the marketplace yet concluded that Satoshi’s individuality was either chartless oregon a operation of aggregate individuals.
The Polymarket’s pool saw implicit $44 cardinal successful trading measurement earlier the film’s release.
Community backlash
The documentary has been met with beardown disapproval from cardinal figures successful the crypto space. Todd himself denied Hoback’s assertion successful the documentary, calling it “ludicrous.” He besides expressly stated connected X:
“I’m not Satoshi.”
Pledditor, a well-known Bitcoin assemblage member, criticized the documentary, arguing that each Nakamoto theories endure from confirmation bias.
Pledditor explained that theorists often absorption connected a fewer notable figures, retroactively uncovering “coincidences” to enactment their claims. According to them, this methodology is flawed and results successful stalking and unethical doxxing. He added:
They added:
“The likelihood that Satoshi was immoderate 1 of these semi-public figures that regularly get accused of being Satoshi is beauteous slim. That’s wherefore if you don’t person factual proof, you should astir apt support your Satoshi Nakamoto individuality theories to yourself. All it does is enactment a $60 cardinal dollar bounty connected the backmost of what is (most likely) the incorrect person.”
Ki Young Ju, the laminitis of CryptoQuant, went arsenic acold arsenic to label the documentary “disgusting” for drafting its decision contempt disagreement from Bitcoin experts. He likened it to promoting a flat-earth mentation without technological review.
BitMEX Research besides dismissed the mentation that Todd is Satoshi based connected the 2010 BitcoinTalk post, calling the proposition “ridiculous.” The steadfast stated that Todd’s station was simply a sarcastic reply to Satoshi, adding:
“There is zero crushed to judge this was Satoshi.”
Meanwhile, Muneeb Ali, the CEO of Trust Machines and co-creator of the Stacks blockchain, stated:
“Just truthful we are each clear: peter todd is not satoshi. anyone who has earnestly worked successful the bitcoin manufacture knows this.”
The station HBO documentary ignites contention with ‘disgusting’ Satoshi Nakamoto claim appeared archetypal connected CryptoSlate.
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